I have been raising commercial pigs for close to
twenty-five years, and often a pig becomes a pet around the farm because it
sustains an injury, has a health problem, or there are more babies than teats.
These pigs are nurtured and cared for, then either placed in an adoptive home or
sold with a group of feeder pigs.
The problem is that these generic pet pigs kept growing
and soon were no longer able to travel in the car, stay in the house or cuddle
on the living room floor. All pigs have the capability of being wonderful
pets due to their high intelligence and sociability. Size has been the only
limiting factor.
Banjo, a Hampshire/Yorkshire cross and my most famous
pet pig, was born to Tulip as a litter of one. I allowed him to nurse for a week
so he would receive all the good immunities from mother’s milk. Then he became
a house pig. Quickly trained to use a litter box, he slept in the kitchen on a
hot water bottle, and every morning would join Brian and I in bed for
"bonding with Banjo."
Soon, however, he grew too large to stay inside, so he
became a yard pig, choosing a tarp-covered piece of farm equipment as his abode.
He very happily remained a yard pig, oinking about in hopes of talking me into
coming out of the house for either a walk or to treat him to a Milkbone or,
better yet, a Boss Hogg Bubble Gum Cigar.
Eventually, he learned to open feed sacks and any gate,
be it latched, wired or booby-trapped. Very clever fellow, that Banjo. Because
of his keen intelligence, which often got him into trouble, not to mention his
ever-increasing size, Banjo graduated to a pen pig with his own condo, swimming
hole and other amenities.
Banjo was known globally and also written up several
times by newspapers. He had his own fan club, complete with membership cards and
t-shirts that featured his picture. Every year an annual birthday bash was held
in his honor. Banjo lived to be almost ten years old. It was a sad day when he
died.
I have had many other pet pigs who unfortunately didn’t
reach Banjo’s age or stature, but were adopted and lived a quality life until
that fateful day when they joined the other commercial pigs.
Then along came a smaller version with equal charm and
far fewer hassles — the potbellied pig. I have been raising these little
porcine pals since the spring of 1989 and couldn’t be more pleased. They are
intelligent, obedient, talented, affectionate, comical, inquisitive,
communicative and one-tenth the size of a normal pig. They are easily litter box
trained, have no fleas, do not bark, are not destructive, and don’t seem to
cause allergies. They require no more veterinarian attention or feed (maybe even
less) than a cat or dog. Indeed, "the pig person’s perfect pet."
As a pig lover, owner and breeder, my goals are to find
good homes for pet pigs, produce quality breeding stock, promote and adhere to
reputable breeding practices, educate people about the many wonders of pig
parenthood and dispel negative pig notions.
"The Pig Person's Perfect
Pet"
